THE TOTALISATOR IN AUSTRALIA.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15772, 13 December 1916, Page 3

THE TOTALISATOR IN AUSTRALIA.

NJS.W. GOVERNMENTS ATTITUDE.

PROPOSED STATE MONOPOLY

Fuller information reached here yesterday by tho Australian mail concerning the proposed introduction of tho- totaiisator into New South Wales, and i 1 now appears clear that the State Government intends to establish the machine as a State monopoly pure and simple, taking tho lion's share of the profits. It is intended to leave it to the clubs to run the machines and allow them 3 per cent, out of tho legal deduction from investments of 10 per cent. CLUBS TO RUN THE MACHINES. As to tho methods of installing the new order of things, one writer says : —"The clubs are to ruu their own machines under the supervision of Government inspectors, and it is understood that a portion of the percentage retained is to go into a sinking fund to pay off the cost of buildings, installing the totaiisator machines, etc. It is mad© compulsory on many clubs to use the totaiisator. These are specified in the Bill, and if, despite fines, any club fails to use the machine, the Government may step in, and upon installing it, tako "the whole of the percentage. Only the clubs particularised will bo permitted the use of the totaiisator, and I believe theso will not include any of the picnic or smaller organisations. Whether the deduction from investments should be 10 or 12 per cent- will be productive of debate/' WHAT REVENUE WILL IT PRODUCE? Commenting on this the well-known sporting writer, "Pilot,'' remarks:— "For my own part, I regard the smaller figure as sufficient, but as it is generally accepted that the Government share is to be 7 per cent., perhaps the larger one will be decided upon. If so, with fractions as a further deduction, the charge on the public will be rather stiff. Full capital will be made of this fact by the totalisator's opponents, but while it is possible to say how much the machine takes, no one can say how much of public money tho bookmaker retains. Figures available in connexion with the betting tax prove that in the metropolitan area alone bookmakers paid well on towards £100,000 to the clubs and the Government in connexion with their licenses this year, and that did not cany them inside the outer gate of any racecoursc. It is not over-shoot-ing the mark to say that before they stand up to bet at Sydney meetings alone, the bookmakers now collectively pay at least £125,000 in unavoidable initial expenses—not including the stamp tax—and on top of that fully 450 layers of the odds have then to get a living for themselves and their clerks out of the public. It would be mere guesswork to suggest what the bookmakers cost. racegoers, but it is certain the totaiisator is not going to make matters any worse for the average bettor, and it should greatly improve matters for horse-owners. During the current year New Zealand, with little more than a third of the number of days' racing, will distribute more prize-money than New South Wales, and were it not for the totaiisator the leading clubs in cities tho size of Brisbane and Perth could not afford their present liberality to horseowners." COST OF INSTALLING AT RANDWICK. It is instructive to know what the introduction of tho totaiisator at Randwick will mean to the premier club of tho State. On tho matter being referred to Mr C. W. Cropper, secretary of the A.J.C., who has had previous experience of the machine in West Australia, ho said that if it became necessary to instal a complete totaiisator system at Randwick Racecourse it. would cost the A.J.C. nearly £35,000. Each building would require to have ah least 40 windows, and quite 7ft would have to be provided for each to givo the ingress and egress that would be necessary for speculators, so that, a building quito 280 ft long would bo wanted. There is, however, no reason why all the windows should he on the ground level, and many racing men were ot" opinion when the present public tea room in the saddling paddock at Randwick was erected, that it was designed so that it. might be transformed at comparatively small cost into a betting house for totaiisator purposes. Whether this is so or not remains to be seen, but there is no reason to suppose that, the ercction of the necessary building.-, at. Randwick will present any great difficulty, though in the main enclosure the club has not too much space. As bookmakers are to be permitted to operate in conjunction with the totaiisator, it is likely that they will move in the direction' of a reduction in their betting fees (says the Sydney "Daily Telegraph"). Leading men, when spoken to, anticipate that there would not be any difficulty in that connexion. Their receipts would bo considerably less than formerly, and those of the <viuhs much larger by reason of the totaiisator tax.